


Honey Nut Larrios

by tattooedrose



Category: One Direction
Genre: Cereal, First Meeting, Grocery Shopping, M/M, Strangers, oh and the title is a bit clickbaity because there aren't any honey nut cheerios mentioned, that then leads into a strange bit of dialogue, there's a really bad reference to the valentine's day interview
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 21:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14554407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooedrose/pseuds/tattooedrose
Summary: Louis is short. Cereal boxes are high. Harry is tall, and happens to be able to help.





	Honey Nut Larrios

**Author's Note:**

> Hii this is my first fic, so it's probably a little rough. Well, definitely, if I'm being honest. But I'm still really excited to be posting it and even though I have room to grow as a writer for sure, I hope you can enjoy this short, self-indulgent grocery store fic!!
> 
> Also obvs this is a work of fiction, and not meant to be an exact, accurate depiction of the people mentioned :)

It just slipped out, Harry swore. He didn’t mean to snicker at the spectacle in the cereal aisle. But the man standing there looked like a chihuahua trying to be menacing - translation: a little scary if Harry was being honest, but mainly small and adorable - and a finger’s length away from the top shelf cereal boxes. Of course, it wasn’t enough for Harry to immediately feel awful about the laugh - the man whipped around and turned his chihuahua glare on Harry.

  
Expecting a scathing comment, Harry felt his face heat up and an involuntary “Oops” slipped out.

  
The man raised an eyebrow and did a condescending once-over. “Hi.” The statement was brief, carrying none of the pleasantry expected from the short greeting. The blunt tone continued into the question that followed. “Well, are you going to mock my perfectly reasonable 5’9’’ or can you use those-” He paused to give Harry another once-over. Harry normally would have felt flattered, but something told him this wasn’t the time. “- unnaturally long noodles attached to your admittedly impressive torso for something other than falling?”

  
Harry’s face was burning now. He didn’t think the man would’ve noticed him stumbling backward in self-preservation. Maybe a chihuahua glare was a hasty judgement - Harry was intimidated.

  
The man sighed impatiently, and moved forward to tug at Harry’s sleeve. “Come on now Curly. I don’t have time to waste, there’s cereal to be eaten. Besides, my time is very valuable, in fact this is quite the opportunity for you; most men have to wait at least a week before they get one on one quality time with the Tommo.” His slight annoyance with Harry didn’t stop him from giving Harry a mock (he hopes) cocky expression of superiority.

  
Harry was still speechless. The intimidation was part of it, yes, but more importantly the man in front of him was attractive. And not only that, he could feel Louis’ fingers burning through the thin cotton of his shirt sleeve, where they rested waiting to tug again. Tug… the stranger’s (the Tommo’s?) hand…. Warm….. Inappropriate Styles, He stopped himself before that train of thought could go too far.

  
In the time Harry wasted memorizing the feel of the hands belonging to the handsome but intimidating cereal gremlin, he had returned to being impatient.

  
“C’mon mate, you didn’t ‘ave a problem making noise earlier,” a pointed glare, “What’s keeping you quiet now?” The exasperation was evident, but Harry liked to imagine that there was some fondness lurking in it.

  
His voice started like an old car engine, a raspy “S-sorry” stumbling out, then gaining in confidence, “I‘m Harry.”

  
Louis’ eyebrows raised, but this time Harry didn’t have to imagine a hint of fond. “Alright, d’ya want me to tell you yer a wizard or something? I’m here for cereal, not your name, Harold.”

  
Ah, well Harry figured. He'd already embarrassed himself beyond recovery, and as much as he liked to see this attractive Peter Pan doppelganger again, it was unlikely, so what was there to lose? “If you want to be here for my number, you might be able to get something better than cereal to eat.” He fluttered his eyelashes and winked.

  
The laugh that escaped Louis was short and loud, paralleling the man who made it. It put Harry instantly at ease; somehow, he knew this was someone he could trust.

“What happened to the blushing man who wouldn’t talk Harold, you’re giving me whiplash.” He paused, and his blue eyes glinted from a sun that was internal, not external. “You can’t distract me though. You’re getting that cereal and repaying the debt you owe me after your blatant mockery. Let’s go, lad.”

  
The small hand with the dainty, inked wrist that had lain dormant on Harry’s sleeve tightened again, and this time didn’t hold back. Harry was pulled towards the shelf, loose from giggles that were also being pulled out of him.

  
“Stooop,” he protested, barely understandable from the gaspy laughs that fought his speaking. “Manhandling is a third date thing for me, who do you take me for?”  
Louis’ eyes were crinkled; the only reason Harry could still make them out was because their blue was so bright. He didn’t respond, just shook his head and pointed up.  
Harry’s gaze followed the finger, and the giggle he had almost quieted restarted, stronger than ever.

  
Louis puffed up, indignant over the reaction, “ Do you have a problem, mate? There something you want to say about my cereal?” He said cereal the way most people would say lover, an observation that only turned Harry into more of a mess.

  
In his brief gasps of calm, Harry spat out a “Cocoa Puffs???”

  
Louis sneered, “Oh right, my bad, cause your bland, flavorless, boring Raisin Bran is so much better.”

  
Harry pouted. “But they have raisins. Raisins -” he paused. “Wait, how did you know I like Raisin Bran?”

  
“It was easy,” Louis said in an airy voice, “Only someone pretentious enough to hate on Cocoa Puffs would -”

  
“Hey hey hey,” Harry interjected, “That’s unfair. I don’t have anything against Cocoa Puffs. We support everyone in this grocery store, including Cocoa Puffs.”

  
“Alright, alright, Curly,” Louis soothed with a hint of sarcasm. “If you support them, then can you support them while a box of them is in me hands, thanks?”

  
Harry finally gave, and reached up to grab some Cocoa Puffs, his hand large against the cardboard box. When he pulled them down, Louis reached for them but Harry moved them out of his reach.

  
“Fuck off Harold, and give me the damn Puffs. I’ve waited too long to put up with more of your bullshit.”

  
Harry kept them out of his reach though, and grinned. “Patience, Tommo.”

  
“I’m serious, give me the cereal or you’ll regret it. I was captain of my schools football team, I can assure you I’m quite good at kicking balls.” Louis lunged for the box and Harry tripped over himself to get out of the way.

  
“Stop, no, just hold up one second, stop--” Harry’s protests were cut-off as Louis jumped on him, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed the box out of Harry’s hand and rolled away, jumping to his feet.

  
“Success!” he crowed, parading the box up and down the aisle, “The dangerous evil ogre is defeated and the charming, handsomely rugged prince reigns victorious, his trusty cereal back by his side.”

  
“Heyyyy why’m I an ogre?” His voice was muffled, but still audible from where Harry lied face down on the floor.

  
“Cause you’re big and a cereal thief?”

  
“But ogre’s aren’t hot. Am I not hot?”

  
“No, no of course you’re hot.” Louis paused, looking down at the boy sprawled across the entire cereal aisle and wondered why he felt so protective of him after only a couple minutes of knowing him. “ There are hot ogres, right?”

  
“Now there are.” Harry finally moved, rolling over to wink at Louis, then adopting a simpering sweet voice. “Hello your highness, I’m just an ogre lying before a prince asking him to help me up.”

  
Louis backed up in mock horror. “Harold are you trying to seduce me into a Shrek/The Notebook mash-up roleplay? I expected better from you. And in such a noble establishment too…”

  
Harry let out a bark of a laugh worthy of an ogre and stood up. “Hello sweet prince, ogres are like onions, if you open us up, you’ll be crying by the time you’re done.” He finished the sentence with a wink.

  
Louis started to smile then stopped. “What the fuck are you on about Curly?”

  
Harry rolled his eyes. “Shrek? Ogres are like onions?”

  
Louis stared at him, so incredibly lost. “No I got that, the other part, explain.”

  
Harry blushed. “Oh. Uhh well, like you open umm ogres umm ogres, well, yeah. And then uhh they uhh make you cry. In a cool way. Like, a sexy type.” Cutting off Louis’ response he rushed onto another topic.

  
“By the way, I wasn’t trying to steal your cereal earlier, I was just going to check the expiration date. If you wanted me on the floor for you, you could’ve just asked.”

  
“Harold, I’m shocked at your forwardness.” Louis processed what Harry said. “Wait.” He looked down at the cereal box searching for the little black numbers. Finding them, he paused then looked back at Harry. “It’s good for two more months; what’s your excuse now?”

  
Harry glared at him. “That’s all you have to say for yourself. I have a bad back twat.”

  
Louis leered at him. “I can make you forget that if you want.”

  
Harry nodded before he can think to not. Both of their eyes widened, and Harry started to back away just as Louis took a step forward.

  
“WEY HEYYYYY TOMMO!”

  
They started, and the buzzing electricity that had seemed to crackle around them disappeared as a loud man came barreling down the aisle, holding cupcakes with a rainbow design in one hand and a basket of mainly beer and some groceries in the other.

  
“LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE BAKERY!” he said, shoving the cupcakes toward Louis.

  
While Louis was distracted, admiring the cupcake offering, the man glanced at Harry.  
“Sorry, do I know you?” he asked. “Are you a friend of Lou’s?

  
Harry glanced over at the cereal man. “Erm, no we don’t know each other. Is that...” he nodded in the cereal man’s direction, “ Lou?”

 

After a glance between Harry and Louis, the man slowly nodded. “It is, and most people call me a snack but you can call me Niall.”

  
“Nice to meet you” Harry said. “I’m actually just about to be off, I need to get some stuff and then get back home. Enjoy the cereal Lou.”

  
He turned away, about to leave before he could really remember that he wasn’t part of this man’s life, that, in fact, he meant nothing to him - just a stranger in the cereal aisle. That this was probably the last time he’d see him. A small, familiar hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

  
“First off it’s Louis not Lou, Niall’s a cunt. Second, were you just going to leave without giving me your number, Harold?” He sniffed dramatically. “I thought we had something.” He threw himself into Niall’s arms, stage whispering, “My affections have been scorned, am I not loveable, is my face not the handsomest in the land? Niall, have you been lying to me??”

  
Niall snorted. “Mate, I’d never tell you a lie that unbelievable. You must have me confused with someone else.”

  
Louis looked up briefly. “You’re right. Must’ve been Liam. Prick.” Hiding his face in Niall’s shoulder once again, he pulled out his phone and waved it near Harry. “Take it. Niall can unlock it for you. I’m too embarrassed to look you in the eyes.”

  
Niall grabbed the phone before Harry could, muttering under his breath about how he couldn’t go anywhere with Louis in public and why couldn’t some people go even five seconds without making a scene.

  
Louis heard him and sniggered, “Awhh Nialler, petal, lover of mine, don’t speak this way, you brought me rainbow cupcakes two minutes ago. I know I’m your favorite.”

  
Niall ignored him, choosing to instead roll his eyes at Harry conspiratorially before handing him the unlocked phone.

 

“Are you sure you want to be getting into this?” he warned, “I’ve been trying to escape for the last 5 years and look where I am.”

  
Harry knew it wasn’t a serious question, but he couldn’t help a soft smile and softer reply.

 

“Yeah,” he said, opening a new contact and putting his information in. “I’m sure.” He pressed enter and watched as a black rectangle with white text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

 

It read Contact Saved.

 

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this!! I hope you liked it, if you have comments I'd love to hear them, positive or critical :)
> 
> S/o to my beta bella, @ot4tat on tumblr, for being incredible and supportive and to the loml joss for also proofing for me, both of them are amazing!!
> 
> If anyone wants to promote having more fics with Louis' cereal love in them I'd love you forever - it was so much fun to write this but reading fics will always be my fav, and I would love to read fics where cereal is an important part


End file.
